posted
Issue # 205 was SUPERBOY's second 100-Page Spectacular. Sadly, it was not worth the wait of six months since # 202. The only new story brought back another old face from the Legion's past – Lana Lang, a.k.a., the Legion Reservist known as Insect Queen.
Lana, though a staple character in Superboy for many years, hadn't appeared in the book since # 198. In fact, the entire Smallville milieu and cast was all but abandoned when the Legion took over the title. Superboy, of course, was prominently featured in each story, giving the impression that he was living in the 30th century instead of only visiting. He even sported a somewhat longer hairstyle, not at all fitting for someone who supposedly lived in the 1950s! But for me, Lana's appearance as Insect Queen was to be real treat, as I had not encountered her in this identity yet.
Unfortunately, the story, "The Legion of Super-Executioners," was unsatisfying. It makes little use of the Legionnaires, except for Superboy, Lana and Ultra Boy. It also features a forgettable and unconvincing villain.
It begins with Superboy bringing Lana into the future as a birthday present. They are greeted by grim Legionnaires who announce that one of their own has gone amok and has to be restrained in a padded cell. Superboy is astonished to learn that the crazed Legionnaire is Ultra Boy. After Superboy has been sent on a false errand, Lana learns that Ultra Boy is, in fact, sane, and the rest of the Legion has been brainwashed by a scrawny, pale villain with an unimpressive name, The Master. Since Ultra Boy is immune to The Master's mind control and Lana is just in the way, he orders the Legion to march them before a firing squad. Fortunately, Superboy realizes what's going on and returns in time to rescue them. Lana then dons her Insect Queen costume to help save the day.
Even at the age of 11, I found it just a little too incredible that The Master hypnotized all the Legionnaires, except, conveniently, for Ultra Boy. Besides, this plot had been done before – in LSH # 1, my first Legion story. There, Command Kid had taken advantage of several Legionnaires' insecurities in order to trick them into submitting to his plan. Here, we are given no indication of how The Master took control of the entire Legion. Also, his scheme to turn the Legion into a colony of slaves was already a hackneyed science fiction concept – it had been used a few times on "Star Trek." Even Lana's appearance as Insect Queen was matter-of-fact: a few brief panels of her displaying wasp or spider powers.
SUPERBOY # 205 did contain another two-part Legion reprint, "The Outcast Legionnaires" and "The Forgotten Legion" (ADVENTURE # 350-351). What's of special note here is that, although writer E. Nelson Bridwell begins the story by forcing Superboy and Supergirl to resign from the Legion when a green kryptonite cloud covers the earth, he ends it by reinstating not only them, but Star Boy and Dream Girl, as well. Furthermore, Bouncing Boy regains his power, Lightning Lad grows a new right arm, and Matter-Eater Lad loses the extra weight he gained in the "Super Stalag" adventure. Virtually all of the misfortunes suffered by Legionnaires had been "fixed," save for the killing of Triplicate Girl's third self.
In a way, this story represents the apex of the Legion's golden age in ADVENTURE COMICS: Never before or after would the team be as whole. In fact, two issues later, in ADVENTURE # 353 (not reprinted here), that wholeness would be shattered irrevocably with the death of Ferro Lad.
This meant that everything after (including the present SUPERBOY stories) had a certain, implied sadness: the Legion had lost some old friends (some dead, some retired).
Within a year of reading this story, I would lose most of my neighborhood friends (including many with whom I'd shared my love of the Legion) when they moved away. My loss mirrored what happened to the Legion following "The Forgotten Legion," I thought, so I would frequently look back on this story as an ideal portrait of the way things were supposed to be.
Such is the nature of nostalgia.
[ May 01, 2004, 10:22 PM: Message edited by: He Who Wanders ]
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Ah, the earliest S/LSH issue I can recall owning. How I love it so. Own 2 copies of it, I do-- one for reading and one to keep al shinyand mint-y fresh; yes yes yes I love this issue!
I can remember thinking how cool it would be to look up and see Superboy sitting in your bedroom window; I thought Insect Queen was the coolest thing ever; Grell's Legionnaires looked so sexy to me (though I wouldn't know at the time to call them sexy); Cockrum's LORE pages were a highlight.
And man, oh man, that reprinted story. Absolutely incredible!
The entire Legion, the super-happy ending HWW decribes above (which I loved!!), the Super-Pets, the Subs, and the kitchen space-sink.
IMO, there could not have been a better LEGION tale to reprint for this little soon-to-be fan.
posted
This was one of the earliest Legion comics I read. My first was SB&LSH #203, followed by #200, #202 and then this one. (Ah, the good ol' days of not knowing what you'd find on spinner racks in different drug stores.) It'd be months before I ever read #201 and *years* before I got my hands on #204.
I also think these giant issues with the reprints contributed to making me a lifelong Legion fan. I also got the Justice League ones that were published around the same time and often contained stories featuring the Justice Society. I had no trouble wrapping my 9 year old head around the fact that there were two (or more) sets of heroes operating on different earths.
In fact, I thought the Adventure Legion was another earth's team, separate from but analogous to the Bates/Cockrum/Grell Legionnaires. I wised up pretty quickly... but I recall being a bit disappointed that there weren't multiple earths of Legion teams.
I enjoyed this issue more than HWW... I thought Lana came across pretty well. I must have read about her in a Superman book, because I knew who she was. And roughly what her character would be like.
I remember being a bit freaked out by The Master... what power did that wizened, stick figure of a being have to control so many Legionnaires? I wouldn't have understood it then, but there was something unsavory in a psychosexual way about that villain. Maybe it was just the sight of his unpreposessing figure in a skimpy costume similar to the sexy Legionnaire ones. To what might his control have extended?
I remember really studying that panel that showed the 'space ark' being built by all those flying Legionnaires. I wasn't completely clued in to who all the characters were. Many of them were still mysteries made tantazlizing by their appearance in the wedding pin-up and then here in the background of this one panel.
I think figuring out who all these heroes were... imagining what their powers and personalities were like when all I saw was glimpses of them... ignited my imagination.
And then finding out about all the peripheral characters who *really* weren't fleshed out kept that little flame going.
There's a lot to be said for that, I think.
I always thought this story would be great fodder for follow-up... especially if The Master ever got his hands on the clone bank later depicted in the series.
Adult eyes aren't so kind to the story, certainly. But it definitely furthered my curiosity about the Legion then.
posted
That's an excellent idea about The Master getting ahold of the clone samples, Todd.
I never thought of The Master in a "psychosexual" way, mainly because everyone in the 30th century seemed to be wearing those skimpy costumes. One does wonder what he was planning to do with all those female Legionnaire slaves, though (or male ones, for that matter).
I remember studying the scene of the Legionnaires building the arc, too. I knew who everyone was, by this time, but it was large panels like this where we got to see more than a handful of them at a time, usually. These panels gave a sense of the Legion being truly a Legion, not just a small team of heroes with a rotating cast.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
About the pyschosexuality of The Master... that rather phallic helmet might have had something to do with my impressions.
TN
I enjoy these HWW... please keep them up, as you have time! They've prompted me to take another look at the archives (always a way to kill an afternoon... then an evening... then a late night ).
I've toyed with doing Calling the Roll for some of these older issues... one of these days I might.
From: Knoxville, TN | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I plan to keep them up as long as people keep reading and responding to them, Todd.
I'd love to read your "Calling the Roll" take on these older issues, too.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I think my first Legion story was S/LSH #201. This was where ERG-1 saves the Legion from the Molecular Master. I loved it immediately. I remember making several erroneous assumptions, too. In one panel, the "podium" says Invisible Kid, but there was no one there. I thought he was just invisible. (Since I didn't know what IK looked like, I didn't realize he had exited earlier.) I also remember thinking since there was a Brainiac 5, the Legion must also contain Brainiacs 1 through 4.
Still, this is the issue that turned me on to the Legion. It featured the first appearance of Porcupine Pete and Infectious Lass. (Love those Legionnaire try-outs!) I still love re-reading this one.
Strangely, I also remember thinking Superboy was one lucky guy to fall on Phantom Girl like that.
From: Cincinnati | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I had a love/hate relationship with DC's Giant issues such as SLSH#205. My local magazine store would often not carry those giant issues, because they cost too much to sell (50˘!). When they were there, I loved to read the reprint features as much as the new stories. And when Mom said I could only get a limited number of comics, I got a bargain with those Giant issues.
It took me years to get #205 after it came out, and the other Giant with the LSV, but I still enjoyed them once I located them in the racks of a more sofisticated Comic Book store.
-------------------- "My dance card was getting fuller than a contestant's at a Jandan shurg-off." - Exnihil, The Lost Klordny
From: Frederick, MD | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
PS - A friend of mine said that the reason Ultra Boy was unaffected by The Master and his hypnotism was because he was so dumb (he didn't like the character). I thought it funny years later Jo's character became portrayed as somewhat of a dullard!
-------------------- "My dance card was getting fuller than a contestant's at a Jandan shurg-off." - Exnihil, The Lost Klordny
From: Frederick, MD | Registered: Aug 2003
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quote:Originally posted by lancesrealm: In one panel, the "podium" says Invisible Kid, but there was no one there. I thought he was just invisible. (Since I didn't know what IK looked like, I didn't realize he had exited earlier.) I also remember thinking since there was a Brainiac 5, the Legion must also contain Brainiacs 1 through 4.
That reminds me of one of my own misconceptions. My first Legion issue, LSH # 1, contained a panel of Colossal Boy standing over what might now be called a monorail. He wasn't identified, so I assumed he was Brainiac 5, since the original Brainiac had a shrinking ray in an old cartoon series.
quote:[B]Strangely, I also remember thinking Superboy was one lucky guy to fall on Phantom Girl like that.[/QB]
Too bad he was unconscious at the time.
By the way, my thoughts on # 201 are posted in a separate thread, which I will bump for you.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
HWW, I don't believe Lana attended the wedding in #200. And she wasn't immune to the Master's control. He does hypnotize her later in the story. His reason for executing her was that she wasn't a full-fledged Legionnaire [with real powers presumably].
I thought the lamest parts of this story were the "hoax knot" and the space ark. Why not simply use the Legion's own ships to fly away to never never land? The villain was pretty wimpy too. He reminded me of the 2 little old men in Adv. 319. Someone more sinister and imposing would've made a more interesting threat.
-------------------- Buy my new graphic novel! http://www.dodeka12.com
From: Champaign, IL | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I absolutely love reading the issues of this era, even when the stories aren't that amazing. The new costumes, sexed up as they were, really made it feel like a whole new atmosphere.
BTW, I love these topics HWW.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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quote:Originally posted by jimgallagher: HWW, I don't believe Lana attended the wedding in #200. And she wasn't immune to the Master's control. He does hypnotize her later in the story. His reason for executing her was that she wasn't a full-fledged Legionnaire [with real powers presumably].
GACK! You've caught me again, Jim. I'm doing this mainly from memory, since my focus is on what the stories meant to me. But there's no excuse for these blunders. I'll take greater care in the future, but I ought to send all my posts to you for copy editing, just in case.
Thanks for keeping me honest, if embarrassed.
EDIT: The article has now been corrected.
[ May 01, 2004, 10:24 PM: Message edited by: He Who Wanders ]
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: I absolutely love reading the issues of this era, even when the stories aren't that amazing. The new costumes, sexed up as they were, really made it feel like a whole new atmosphere.
BTW, I love these topics HWW.
Thanks, Cobie.
I love reading them, too, even when they don't (or didn't) measure up to my expectations.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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